Top 20 2-Player Board Games: 2023 Edition!

Are you having a quiet game night with your favorite person? This article highlights the 20 best board games for 2 players that are fun and a perfect way to bond. So get ready to roll the dice and put the thinking caps on – these games will keep you entertained for hours. Enjoy!

Ludo – 2 players board game

Ludo is a game that people of all ages have enjoyed for centuries. The game is believed to have originated in India, and it quickly spread to other parts of Asia and Africa.

Key pointers about Ludo:

• Player count: 2-4
• Duration: <90 minutes
• Age: 3+
• Skills required: Tactics, probability, strategy
• Equipment: Ludo board, dice, and tokens

How to Play?

You play Ludo with four tokens, each representing a different color. You roll the dice and move your tokens around the track based on the number you get on the dice. The goal is to get all four tokens to your home.

Along the way, you can also capture your opponents’ tokens by landing in the same space. The opponent’s token goes back to the start if that happens. The first player to get all four pawns to the finish line wins the game!

Learn how to play Ludo and classic Ludo rules here.

Variations of Ludo

While many people still enjoy the classic version of Ludo, there are also a few variations of this two players board game that you can try.

Nowadays, you can enjoy many Ludo variations online. For example, Ludo Ninja by Zupee allows you to play the game without dice. The best part is – You get to choose a 2 player format! Take a look at Ludo game variants

Take a look at the tips to play Ludo online.

Snakes and Ladders – 2 to 4 players format

The origin of Snakes and Ladders is in India, but people worldwide now enjoy this game. You can play this game in a 2-player format or 4-player format.

Key pointers about Snakes and Ladders:

• Player count: 2-4
• Duration: <60 minutes
• Age: 3+
• Skills required: Tactics, probability, strategy
• Equipment: Snakes and Ladders board, dice, and tokens

How to Play?

You aim to reach the 100^th box by climbing up the ladders and avoiding the snakes. Each player takes turns rolling a dice and moves their tokens along the track based on the number they get.

If you land on the base of a ladder, you can climb up the ladder to reach the square where its head ends. However, if you land on a snake’s head, you have to slide down to its tail. There are 100 squares on the board, and you need to reach the last square. The first player to reach the finish wins the game!

Learn how to play snakes and ladders? Did you know you can win money while playing online snakes and ladders? Here are the rules to play snakes and ladders online vs. offline.

Carrom – Best 2 players board game

According to a few theorists, the Indian Maharaja invented carrom, but there is no concrete evidence to support it. Few people believe that carrom originated from Portugal and then spread across India and Asia. Whoever invented carrom has left an interesting 2 players board game for generations to play.

Key pointers about Carrom:

• Player count: Two players. It can be played by 4 people, with 2 people in one team
• Duration: <45 minutes
• Age: 5+
• Skills required: tactics, strategy, hand-eye coordination
• Equipment: Carrom board, 18 Carrommen, 1 queen, 1 striker

How to Play?

The first step to playing carrom is to pick the color of the carrom men. There are two options: black and white. You play carrom on a board with four pockets and use small discs called carrom men and hit them with a striker to sink them into the pockets.

You hit the carrom men and score points for each one that you/your teammate sinks. The first player/team to drop all the carrom men in the pocket wins the game.

Learn how to play Carrom, its rules, and the 10 best carrom tricks to win the game.

Chess – Strategic 2 players board game

Chess is one of the most famous Indian 2 players board games and can be pretty addictive. It’s the perfect game for the strategist in you because it requires brains, patience, and meticulous planning. Moreover, playing chess is beneficial as it enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Take a look at this article that highlights the 20 benefits of playing chess.

Key pointers about chess:

• Player count: 2-player board game
• Duration: <60 minutes
• Age: 6+
• Skills required: tactics, strategy
• Equipment: Chess Board with chess pieces

How to Play?

You play the game of chess on a board with 64 squares. The board is divided into two colors: light and dark. Each player has 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, a queen, and a king.

The game aims to checkmate the opponent’s king. This happens when the king is under threat of being captured, and there’s no way to prevent it. The game can also end in a draw if neither player can checkmate the other.

Learn about the best chess openings and strategies to win the game. Get familiar with chess rules here. 

Build civilization with 7 Wonders Duel board game

7 Wonders Duel is a strategy game that takes place over three ages. The goal is to build the most impressive civilization.

• Player count: 2
• Duration: 30-60 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: card drafting, set collection, city building
• Equipment: Board, conflict pawn, token, coins, cards

How to Play?

You take cards based on which you can build your civilization. Each card has a function, and you can use them to develop the city, build wonders, or acquire resources. The game ends after three ages, and the player with the most points wins this two player board game.

Jaipur – Trading 2 players board game

Jaipur is a trading board game for two players. As Indian traders, you want to gather various items and sell them to earn money. However, the market is volatile, and there is a continuous conflict between stockpiling goods and selling early to get the best prices. Here are some key pointers about Jaipur:

• Player count: 2
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Age: 8+
• Skills required: trading, set collection, probability
• Equipment: Jaipur playing cards and chips

How to Play?

The game aims to earn more money than the other player. You earn more money by buying and selling goods. When it’s your turn, you can either sell or take cards. If you sell cards, you get to sell only one type of good. Moreover, the number of cards sold determines the chips you will receive. If you take cards, you have to choose between:

• Taking one card from the market
• Taking all the camels
• Swapping 2-5 cards

You can also earn more rewards by selling 3-5 cards of the same good. Learn more about how to play this game.

Pandemic – Cooperative 2 players board game

Pandemic is a cooperative 2-player board game. However, even more, players can play this game where they are tasked to stop the spread of a deadly disease. True to the name, the disease takes the form of a pandemic as it is spreading quickly. Here are some pointers about this 2 player board game:

• Player count: 2-4
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Age: 8+
• Skills required: cooperation, strategy, resource management
• Equipment: Game board, 7 role cards (with matching pawns), 6 research stations and wooden markers, 96 disease cubes, 48 infection cards, 59 player cards, reference cards, and a rulebook.

How to Play?

In the game, you play as a team of experts trying to stop the spread of a deadly disease. The disease spreads quickly, and you must work together to find a cure. You do this by collecting five cards of the same color, representing the different stages of the disease. The first player to do this wins the game. Take a look at how to play this game in detail.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is a mystery board game for two players. In this game, you take on the role of a detective trying to solve a case. The catch is that you can only consult with Sherlock Holmes himself to get clues.

• Player count: 1-8
• Duration: 60-90 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: deduction, reasoning, investigation
• Equipment: A board, deck of cards, and a map

How to Play?

In the game, you play as detectives trying to solve a case. You do this by consulting with Sherlock Holmes, who gives you clues to solve the mystery. However, the thing is that you can only consult with him once per case. The first player to correctly solve the puzzle wins the game.

Ticket to Ride – Strategy game for 2 players

Ticket to Ride is a 2-player strategy board game. Here are some key pointers about the game:

• Player count: 2-5
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Age: 8+
• Skills required: route planning, set collection, resource management
• Equipment: A ticket to ride board, train cards, and a map

How to Play?

Players draw and play train cards to claim routes on the map. Your goal is to score the maximum points by connecting cities with train cars. The first player to reach the end of the game with the most points wins.

Patchwork

Uwe Rosenberg designs the patchwork board game. You play it on a square, modular board with hexagonal tiles assembled in different ways to create various playing surfaces. The game is for two players, each with a 7×7 grid to place their patches. Here are some key pointers about the game:

• Player count: 2
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Age: 8+
• Skills required: planning, strategy, resource management
• Equipment:  7×7 grid, patches, and buttons to create patterns

How to Play?

You take turns drafting and playing patch cards to fill a 7×7 grid. After placing a piece onto the board, you can do one of three actions:

• Place one of your pieces in an adjacent space
• Move one of your pieces along the lines between the hexagons
• Rotate one of your pieces 90 degrees, either clockwise or anticlockwise

The goal is to score the most points by creating a quilt with as few empty spaces as possible. The first player to reach the end of the game with the most points wins.

Tiny Towns – Built cities

Tiny Towns is a city-building game where you must use resources to build the most prosperous town.

• Player count: 1-6
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Age: 8+
• Skills required: planning, resource management, set collection
• Equipment: A 4×4 grid that represents the town and wooden cubes

How to Play?

You take turns placing your wooden cubes on the town board. You can put them in space but must follow specific rules. For example, you can only place one cube per space, and all cubes in a row or column must be of the same color. The goal is to score maximum points by building the most prosperous town. The first player to reach the end of the game with the most points wins.

Risk – War strategy board game for 2 players

Risk is a two-player war strategy board game focusing on global domination. You can play the game on a board depicting the Earth, divided into forty-two territories, each representing an area of land.

• Player count: 2-6
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: risk management, planning, strategy
• Equipment: Tabletop board depicting a political map of the world, colored tokens denoting troops, deck of risk cards, 5-6 colored dices, and symbolic tokens

How to Play?

There are six different colored pieces representing armies: red, yellow, blue, green, brown, and black. The players can compete as either the “Allies” or the “Axis.” You take turns rolling dice and moving your pieces around the map. The goal is to score the most points by conquering as much of the world as possible. The first player to reach the end of the game with maximum points wins.

Bananagrams – Word board game

You play Bananagrams using a set of letter tiles on a personal board. The goal is to be the first player to use all of your tiles to create a valid word.

• Player count: 1-8
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Age: 7+
• Skills required: word game, letter recognition, spelling
• Equipment: Lettered tiles

How to Play?

You draw letter tiles from the bag and place them on your personal board. However, you cannot see the letters on the tiles before you draw them, and you cannot change the position of the tiles after placing them on your board. The goal is to create a valid word using all of your tiles before the other player.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a 1-4 player cooperative card game. You play as investigators trying to solve a mystery while dealing with the horror unfolding around you.

• Player count: 1-4
• Duration: 60-120 minutes
• Age: 14+
• Skills required: cooperation, deduction, deck building
• Equipment: Adventure cards and coins  

How to Play?

You play as investigators in the game and take turns playing cards from your hands to move around the board, investigate clues, and fight monsters. The goal is to solve the mystery before the horror overwhelms you and Arkham City. Follow the instructions mentioned on the board and complete them to win the game.

Spirit Island – 2 Players cooperative game

Spirit Island is a 1-4 player cooperative board game. It is set in an alternative history in the Pacific Northwest of North America. You play as spirits trying to protect your island from the invading settlers.

• Player count: 1-4
• Duration: 60-120 minutes
• Age: 14+
• Skills required: cooperation, deduction, deck building, area control
• Equipment: Invader and Island board, various panels and cards, and tokens

How to Play?

One player takes on the role of Spirits of Nature, while the other player controls Colonists intent on settling new land. You need to work together to defeat waves of invaders that threaten your island home, but you must also carefully manage your resources and balance light and dark if you hope to win.

Botanik – 2 players resource management board game

Botanik game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where you play a scientist trying to build a formula made from flowers.

• Player count: 2
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Age: 14+
• Skills required: cooperation, deck building, resource management
• Equipment: 1 Registry, 67 tiles, 1 Mecha pawn

How to Play?

You play as one of the scientists in a world where life mixes vegetation and mechanics. You and your opponent are both scientists and trying to create a formula. Take playing cards from your hands to build structures by placing tiles on the board. The goal is to be the first player to create a botanical machine. There are many different ways to win the game, so you must strategically plan to succeed. Your opponent will try to impair your progress on the machine and build their own before you do.

Codenames Duet

Codenames Duet is a 2-4 player strategic word game spin-off of its predecessor, Codenames. However, instead of playing as an individual, you will play with a partner.

• Player count: 2-4 up to 8
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: word game, deduction, teamwork
• Equipment: Card, timer, rulebook

How to Play?

You play as a team of spies in the game and take turns playing cards from your hands to contact your field agents. The objective of the codename duet is to be the first team to reach all your agents. You must use deduction skills to determine which cards represent which agents. Your opponent will try to block you from contacting your agents, so beware.

Mantis Falls

Mantis Falls is a cooperative game where you play the part of someone who has witnessed something not intended to be seen. You must flee Mantis Falls, a dark mob-controlled city, alive as a witness. With another watcher who joins, you need to work together and survive the night’s increasingly hazardous roads.

• Player count: 2-3
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: deduction, cooperation, puzzles
• Equipment: Cards, tokens, mantis fall board

How to Play?

You play as a team of two witnesses in the game and play cards to move around the board, gather evidence, and avoid being caught by the mob. The goal is to escape the city and reach the safe house.

Radlands – Resource Management board game

Radlands is set in a post-apocalyptic world where you fight to destroy the rival tribe’s camp. It is a competitive dueling card game.

• Player count: 1-4
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Age: 10+
• Skills required: cooperation, deck building, resource management
• Equipment: Cards and water tokens

How to Play?

The leading resource in the game is water. You will spend it playing people and events and use the abilities of cards you already have on the table. People protect your camps and provide functional skills, while events are potent effects that take time to pay off.

Twilight Struggle

Twilight Struggle is a two-player strategy board game set during the Cold War. You take on the role of one of two superpowers, the United States or the Soviet Union, and attempt to spread your influence worldwide.

• Player count: 2
• Duration: 120-180 minutes
• Age: 13+
• Skills required: strategy, card management, risk management
• Equipment: Cards, tokens, and a world map board

How to Play?

You play cards, representing historical events from your hands to gain or lose control of different countries. The goal is to be the first player to achieve a certain number of victory points, determined by the cards you play. You must carefully manage your hands of cards and resources to be successful. Your opponent will try to thwart your plans and achieve victory themselves.

These 20 best 2-player board games are a great way to spend time with a friend or family. Classic 2-player board games like Ludo, Carrom, and Snakes and Ladders have simple rules and gameplay making them easier to learn. Games like Jaipur, Ticket to Ride, Patchwork, or Tiny Towns, have a bit more complex rules, but once you get the hang of it, you are truly going to enjoy it.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and give these games a try. Let us know in the comment section about your favorite 2-player game!

2 players board games – FAQs